


Just Like Their Fathers.

by kotabear24



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Father!Louis, Father-Daughter Relationship, M/M, Reunions, daddy au, father!harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1946595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotabear24/pseuds/kotabear24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where One Direction have been broken up for years, and Harry&Louis have been broken up for longer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Like Their Fathers.

**Author's Note:**

> This is old as shit, try not to judge too hard. xx  
>  **Update: this will not be added to; it was not intended to be a chaptered fic or anything else.**

Harry used to sing for thousands upon thousands of fans four, five, seven times a week, for sixteen weeks in a row.

Then the tour would take a break, and Harry and the other four lads would all vacation on their own for a week or so, and come back and vacation together, lazily working on writing, listening, and recording. They’d finish up the tour of the previous album and, when the next album was ready, release it and follow the frenzy once again.

Harry thought with pride and excitement of the life he used to lead, whenever things were boring at home.

Harry used to be fondly disgusted at the way Niall ate, borderline having sex with the food as he ate it. But Niall was good for a laugh. Niall was simple and easy to befriend. Smart as hell, too. It was fun to wind Nialler up, his accent would thicken so much that only the Irish guards could tell what he was cursing. He swore a lot, and he was the one who, although far from innocent, kept his youth the best. Harry thought about Niall with a longing for the young One Direction, when he was stressed and he knew exactly what Niall would have done: _“Just go sit down at Nando’s, have yourself a nice meal, by the end of t’ night, you won’t remember what you were upset about in t’ first place!”_

Harry used to sneak a smoke every once in a while with Zayn. They’d both sit and just be _quiet_ , not waking up the others, lest they catch Harry in the act, too. Zayn truly wasn’t the quiet kid everyone thought him to be, but he _did_ have a sort of quiet way about his loudness. It kind of snuck up on you, made everything about Zayn surprising, and fun. But Zayn was strong and steady - not exactly responsible but he was _predictable_. He thought long and hard about the plans he made, and if he didn’t make the plans, he’d forget them and be late or completely _miss_ things. Management had a tough time with Zayn. Harry often thought about Zayn with a grudging smile when _he_ was late for work, or picking up his daughter from school. He’d even use the same line as Zayn _always_ did - not really an apology but close enough to count: _“Hey, then. You alright? I’m late again? Right, yeah, I’m on my way.”_

Of the other three, Harry channeled his inner Liam the most. Something about being in a _real_ relationship, or having a young daughter, made Harry feel the need to be sensible, dependable. Harry got on with Liam the best - Liam was Harry’s best mate, through thick and thin. Liam was there and always did whatever Harry told him he needed to have done. If it was a hug, Liam would casually but sincerely throw an arm out. If it was a manly shoulder clap, he’d give Harry the manliest beating of a lifetime. Liam wasn’t quite the Daddy Direction everyone made him out to be - he forgot things, he battled with his inner self (man and boy) constantly - but he was definitely the most sensible. He drilled dates and bits of information into his head, he had the calm interior and exterior to get the other four - especially Harry, who was the most emotional by _far_ \- through anything. Harry thought of Liam the most during the first few months after his girlfriend left him and their daughter; during all of Darcy’s little milestones; when he was so overwhelmed, being a father to a little girl on his own; when he missed Darcy’s mother so bad he literally fell to the ground and cried. Harry could always hear Liam’s soothing. _“Alright, Hazza, come on. You know this is just a rut, you’ll get yourself over this in no time, see? Remember Caroline? Remember Emily? Remember Taylor? Remember all the people you fell in love with? I know you loved Annabelle, but it’ll be right. Just let time sort you out, yeah?”_

Harry thought of Louis the absolute most. Louis wasn’t Harry’s best mate - that was Liam. Louis was Harry’s… _world_. After the split, they’d been good for months, calling and texting but then Louis and Eleanor had married, and Harry had let Annabelle move in, and Louis had started to write scripts and produce movies - Harry watched all of his movies, _of course_ \- and Harry had gotten back into music (not in the way he used to - he had a daughter. now. He recorded lullabies and used the sound technician classes he’d been taking to produce various types of music for children). Their own lives got in the way, basically. They didn’t really talk anymore. And it wasn’t as if Harry didn’t want to - this was _Louis_ \- but he didn’t have the _time_. Still, Harry would think of Louis through all of life’s finer moments: milestones for Darcy; when Annabelle left; the one (disastrous) date he’d been on since; his first lullaby album actually catching the media’s attention - and the simple moments, as well: when a girl’s dress was caught and Harry could see her thong underneath; when Harry hit his foot for the umpteenth time on the bed frame under the bed skirt and Darcy caught him swearing as he hopped one-legged around the room; when he was alone in bed and the other side of the mattress was cold, Darcy having grown out of sleeping cuddled with him. Louis crossed his mind at random times, sometimes not even with words. Sometimes it was just a smile, or a look that Harry remembered vividly, and it would make Harry find a new appreciation for the smaller things in life.

The first few years, the boys met for dinners every six months or so, but as time went on, as they started families or enjoyed the single life, as they started new jobs and moved on, it got to the point where dinners for all five men just weren’t feasible. The boys _would_ , however, every year without fail, send each other text messages on One Direction’s birthday every year. Just a quick, simple, ‘I love you boys’ (in Harry and Louis’ cases), or ‘i love u !!! haha !’ (Niall), ‘I love u mates, .xx’ (Zayn), and ‘i luv u guys nd i dnt thnk ill evr regret the times we had. miss u all nd luv u forevrs!’ (Liam). After all this time, decoding Liam’s (rare) texts was still like reading French - took him a bit longer than regular English, but it wasn’t impossible. Harry would get Liam’s in the morning, early - around the time he would drive Darcy to school, or wake up for work. Zayn’s and Niall’s would come later in the morning or early in the afternoon, probably when they finally woke up, and Louis’ was always the last to arrive, usually around the time Harry put Darcy to bed, or, as she grew, crawled into her own bed. Probably around the same time as his own daughter went to bed, as she was the same age as Darcy.

 

\---

 

Louis was just reading over a new script his agent had sent him when his daughter, Ella, came walking in, followed by another sound of giggles. Louis put the script down as Ella bounded into the kitchen to grab drinks. She stopped to kiss Louis’ cheek before she pulled out the cups.

“Who’ve you got home?” Louis asked his daughter with an easy grin. It was random times like these that Louis would realize just how beautiful his daughter was.

She took after Eleanor a bit, but Louis could easily see himself in her. She had his angular (Louis refused to call them ‘feminine’) features - the jawline, the cheekbones, the narrow build - and his mischievous grin, and his hair color. Her mother was apparent in her curves, the way Ella’s angles seemed to soften more than his, her eyes, the deep chocolate brown, and her lips and nose. Louis’ sons, Leo and Lucas, were the exact spitting image of him, except with Eleanor’s brown eyes, just like Ella’s (damn her dominant traits!).

“A new girl, Darcy,” Ella was saying excitably - oh, she also got Louis’ personality… “Where are Leo and Lucas?” She asked, sounding like she was worried her seven-year-old twin brothers would find out she was home and come to bother her.

Louis chuckled. “They’re over at John’s for a few hours. John’s birthday,” he explained.

Just as Ella was sighing in relief, a stunning girl walked around the corner, searching for Ella. “Ella, where’s the bathr- oh, you’re - you’re Louis Tomlinson.” As the girl caught sight of Louis, her eyes lit up in recognition, although Louis was certain he’d never seen this girl before; he would’ve remembered.

She had dark brown curls, not quite ringlets but tighter than waves, hanging loosely down her shoulders. Her skin was a bit too pale to be ‘in fashion’, the way Ella liked her skin to be (she also got Louis’ tanning ability), and her lips were thick and full. She smiled shyly as Louis looked her up and down, shocked, and Louis noticed the dimples. Louis knew this child. Her eyes were a mix - not the same light emerald and gold flecks Louis had been expecting, during that split second. Whoever her mother was had to have beautiful eyes as well, though, Louis decided, because Darcy’s were a mix of green that was  _oh_ so familiar and the bluish tone of her mother’s. 

“ _Dad_ ,” Ella hissed, looking at him oddly. 

Realizing he’d practically just been checking out a thirteen-year-old girl, like his daughter, Louis cleared his throat and tried for his best ‘Dad’ smile. Except, he could feel it on his face, it wasn’t a Dad smile. He was smiling Harry’s smile.

 _Well, shit_.

“Yeah, I’m Louis Tomlinson. Nice to meet you. Darcy, right?”

The girl Louis was pretty sure was Harry's child smiled and shook his hand, the way her dad had taught her to. “Yes, sir,” she answered quietly. She opened her mouth, and then hesitated, and then spoke anyway, “You know my dad.”

 _So it’s true,_ Louis thought. He tilted his head like he didn’t know what she could mean. “Do I?” He asked casually.

Darcy nodded excitedly. “Yes, sir. Harry. Harry Styles? He’s my dad. I’m Darcy Styles.”

Louis’ smile wobbled a little and he had to look away. He picked up his beer and chugged it, turning away - for some reason, it had always felt wrong to drink in front of children to Louis, and his daughter and Harry’s daughter were no exceptions. When he finished, Louis turned back to face his daughter and her new friend, who had both taken seats at the table while he chugged his beer. Louis nodded, taking a deep breath. “You’re right,” he said, plastering a smile on - but it felt wrong. “I knew your father.” He hesitated before deciding to go for it. Friends could ask friends’ kids how their friends were, right? That wasn’t weird, was it?  
“How’s he doing? Last I heard, you were learning to walk and Harry was so excited he nearly broke your mum’s leg, trying to get to you.” Louis chuckled, even though he was struggling with a bit of a lump in his throat.

Ella closed her eyes tightly, the way she always did when someone said something stupid or insensitive. Louis’ eyebrows furrowed, but he looked and saw Darcy’s mouth had pursed into an angry line. _Jesus_ , she looked like Harry.

“My mum left us,” she said bluntly. “The day before I turned one. I haven’t seen her since. I just know her name’s Annabelle Martin.” She smiled then, though, and it was blinding, just like her father’s.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Louis mumbled, thinking of how in love Harry had been with Annabelle. Four years, they’d been together when she left, then. Nobody had told Louis?

“Oh, it’s fine,” Darcy waved it off casually. “I don’t remember her, and I know obviously Daddy does, but he’s over it. Totally fine.” Darcy smiled again.

“So he’s dating, then?” Louis asked, hoping he didn’t sound like the pining ex-boyfriend he was feeling.

Darcy smiled tightly and shook her head. “Nope. Never had the time. I’m pretty high-maintenance,” she giggled. 

Louis laughed along with her, more out of relief than the comment. “So’s your dad, though,” he quipped and Darcy giggled more. Ella watched with an amused face.

“Darcy,” Louis began, “why are you here?”

Darcy pulled up short, looking a little shocked. “Well, Ella invited me…I _swear_ I didn’t know…I can leave, if you-”

“No, no!” Louis interrupted with a laugh. “I meant _here_ , in London. Harry _loved_ Cheshire!”

Darcy laughed a half-relieved, half-embarrassed laugh and answered with a shrug, “There’s a better company here, wants Dad to start singing for them. Your label, actually. SyCo.”

Louis’ eyebrows rose at the same time as Ella’s. “You have a _label_ , Dad?” She asked, sounding a little impressed.

Louis barely heard the question, thinking that Harry going back into music was somehow perfect for the younger man, but Darcy caught it. “You don’t - you don’t _know_?!” Ella’s eyebrows just raised more in response. Louis started to blush and Darcy started gushing. “Oh, my God, Ella, you _have_ to know this! Your dad’s a _huge_ star! He’s a _legend_!” 

Ella burst out laughing. “Dad?” she nearly wailed with laughter. “Of _course_ he’s a legend, Darce - he writes _movies_ for a living! But why would that give him a _label_? He doesn’t even sing in the _shower_ , for Christ’s sake!”

Darcy’s eyes widened and she looked over at Louis, who was picking at his script. Fidgeting, really. “You-”

“I stopped when we all did,” Louis mumbled, and Ella stopped laughing abruptly. “There was no need to sing once 1D was done.”

“One Dee?” Ella echoed. 

Darcy put a hand over Ella’s. “We’ll really need to talk in a minute. But just one second, okay?” Ella nodded and went to her room to wait, looking confused, and Darcy paid attention to Louis again. “Daddy sings me a song,” she said softly. “He sang it to me when I was little, ‘cause I was a fussy baby and his voice was the only thing that worked. And now he just does it when he can tell I’m stressed or upset.” She licked her lips. “He says the song is the one his…his soul mate sang him, because it meant love and protection and forever.”

Louis was frozen to the spot as the lyrics ran through his head. Ella spoke again. “I don’t know what it’s called, but I bet you do. It goes, ‘ _If I don’t say this now, I will surely break, as I’m leaving the one I want to take. Forget the urgency, but hurry up and wait. My heart is starting to separate. Oh, oh. Oh, oh, be my baby. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh, oh, be my baby, and I’ll look after you’_. Like that.” 

Louis was biting his lip as he nodded. “I know the song,” he laughed with too much air. “It’s by a band called The Fray. The song is 'Look After You'. …If you wanted to know.”

Darcy smiled. “I know he loved my mum…but he loved you, too. I’m probably out of line, and Dad would _kill_ me if he ever knew I said anything like that to you, but it’s true.”

Louis shook his head. “No,” he said with a smile. “That part of us is long gone, Darcy. It stopped when I chose Eleanor and he chose your mum.”

Darcy nodded thoughtfully, but Louis could see the wheels turning in her head, the way Harry’s always did. “I think you still love him,” she said bluntly. Louis’ breath hitched and Darcy stared at him with a smirk. Finally, she stopped and asked Louis, “Why didn’t you ever tell Ella?”

Louis took a while to answer, truthfully, he never knew. “I guess it just never came up. I don’t dwell. Your dad does, he had a one-track mind. Never lets go of things. I guess it was just easier to forget about One Direction than to keep living in those times. I’m not Harry. I can’t do that.”

Again, Darcy nodded. She patted the table and stood up, smiling. “It was nice to meet you, Louis Tomlinson of One Direction.”

Louis smiled genuinely at her and picked up his script, although now, he couldn’t focus to string one sentence together.

 

\---

 

Darcy sat on Ella’s bed, watching with amusement as Ella paced the room slowly. 

“So, the band is called One Direction?” She asked.

“Right. Or, for short, just 1D. Like the number and the letter,” Darcy affirmed.

“And my dad and _your_ dad were in the band?” Ella looked a little dubious, so Darcy moved to Ella’s laptop, opening YouTube and Twitter. “What are you doing?” Ella asked curiously.

“Showing you how hot our dad’s mates were,” Darcy giggled, “and how amazing they were.” She clicked a few times and pulled up the X-Factor 2010 auditions of her father and Ella’s father. “Your dad was really nervous, so his audition wasn’t all that great,” she warned sympathetically, “but he got _way_ awesome. And - sorry - kind of sexy.”  
“ _E_ _W!_ ” Ella screamed at Darcy, laughing in disgust. “My dad was _not_ sexy! Ever!”

Darcy just smiled as she pulled up the auditions, playing them in the background as she flicked to another screen. “ _That_ is my dad, Harry Styles,” she said fondly. The (then) young boy looked so much like Darcy, it was kind of weird. A headful of dark curls, big dimples, full lips (Darce’s dad was kind of hot).

“And _that_ is Niall Horan,” she said, pointing to a blond, blue-eyed boy with crooked teeth but a beautiful smile, nonetheless. “He’s Irish,” Darcy added. “ _That’s_ Zayn Malik,” Darcy pointed to a brooding dark-skinned young boy with short black hair, earrings, and warm hazel eyes. “Liam Payne,” Darcy continued, pointing to a boy with straight brown hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He looked sincere and nice. 

Darcy zoomed in on the picture. “And _that_ ,” she said proudly, “is your father.” 

Ella looked closely. The blue eyes, the same hair, only a little more bowl-headish. He was wearing _tight, tight_ red jeans, rolled up to show half his calves, and a blue and white striped shirt, and the same canvas shoes - TOMS. “God, my dad looks so _weird_ ,” Ella moaned. Darcy continued flicking through whatever database she was using, showing Ella pictures of her father. Of course, as he got older throughout the band, he got older, more manly-looking. 

Darcy reached to Ella’s speaker and turned it up, and Ella listened as someone struggled with his breath during an older song Ella’s heard before called ‘Hey There, Delilah’. She’d only heard it a few times and had liked it, but every time her dad heard it, he switched off the speakers. He did that a lot, on random songs.  
Darcy flipped back to the right tab and Ella saw her father, singing his heart out with a little smile on his face. Ella couldn’t help but smile. “My dad _sang_ that song?” She asked. Darcy nodded.

When the song was over, Darcy summarized the X-Factor. “So basically, they didn’t know each other at all, and were all going for solo artists. Simon and the woman - she’s the singer from The Pussycat Dolls, you’ve heard of them right? - Yeah, well, Simon and Nicole decided to put all the boys in a group, so they did, and my dad came up with ‘One Direction’ because he wanted it to sound good when the announcer dude said it. 

“Here’s the first song they sang as a group.” She stopped talking and played ‘Torn’ at Simon’s house, and once it was over, continued. “They only got to third, but it’s okay because Simon was basically like, ‘Pshhh, screw that, 1D’s gonna be the shit, so I’m gonna sign them and make them my babies and we’ll live happily ever after’.” Ella giggled at her friend’s antics. “Here’s the first single they released from their album,” she said, turning on the music video for ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. She sang along dramatically, squealing proudly when her dad got camera time. “Do you have Bluetooth?” Darcy asked Ella out of nowhere. Ella nodded and turned it on as Darcy smiled. “I’m gonna Bluetooth all of their songs; you can listen to them whenever you want.”

Darcy got serious all of a sudden and grabbed Ella’s arm. “Now here’s what your dad can’t know I told you, because I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be sharing this. Alright? But…so you’re going to have to find out yourself. Here.” Darcy pushed Ella onto her bed and grabbed the laptop. They lay down next to each other and Darcy went to another site full of One Direction interviews. “Watch our dads,” she warned. “This is about to get complicated.”

 

\---

 

Ella lay leaned up against Darcy as they watched _yet another_ interview. This one was just her dad and Darcy’s dad, and it was, like most of the previous ones, giving Ella a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Boys just don’t touch boys like that_ , she thought. _Not when they’re that young and apparently famous._

Ella’s stomach dropped when the interviewer asked about Louis’ girlfriend, _Eleanor_. “Dad was dating my mum when this happened?” She asked incredulously. Darcy just nodded and shushed her, so Ella paid more attention. Louis struggled with the question and looked to Harry for help, but Harry looked pissed off or something. Through the next few interviews, if anything about Eleanor was asked, Harry would get upset looking, and someone would comfort him, and Louis would mess up his answers and look to Harry. 

“What the hell’s going on with our dads?” She asked Darcy. 

Darcy just shook her head, eyes glued to the screen and tight-lipped. 

“You can’t tell me?” Ella asked. Darcy shook her head again and then sighed, unfolding her arms from under her chin and typing and clicking at Ella’s computer. “Here,” she said, sounding exasperated. Ella looked at the screen.

“Sugarscape?” She read aloud, uncomprehending. 

Darcy stared at Ella, eyes growing wide. “You don’t know _Sugarscape_?!” She exclaimed. Ella shook her head, eyes widening a little. “They’re only the most _epic_ writers in the _freaking world,_ Ella. They’re the best Larry Stylinson shippers _ever_.”

“Larry Stylinson?” Ella echoed. Darcy grabbed a pillow and pulled it into her own face, rolling onto her back on the bed and moaning into the cotton.

“ _Yes_ , Larry Stylinson,” she moaned. With one hand, she pointed to the computer screen. “Just flip through the gallery. They’ve got pages and pages on our dads.”

Ella read and eventually Darcy braved the silence and removed the pillow to look at her new friend. Ella was reading, wide-eyed, and her mouth was open in an awkward mix of a shocked ‘o’ and a fangirling grin. It was an expression Darcy knew well - she’d seen pictures of her dad’s fans before.

“ _Holy shit_!” Ella exclaimed. Darcy giggled at Ella’s language. “Oh my God! Our dads were bi!”

Darcy snorted. “’ _Were_ ’? Honey, our daddies _still are_. And you know what I think? I think our dads are still into each other.”

Ella stared for a second and started shrieking. “Oh my god! Darce! Our dads are in love! And, just oh my God! My dad _needs_ to date. He hasn’t dated since Mum left, and he _needs_ someone to make him smile the way your dad did. Do you think - does your dad still - if they - we could - we _would -_ it’d be like - _holy shit_!”

Darcy was standing on Ella’s bed, bouncing and shrieking and laughing. “We’re gonna do this! Ella! Ella, let’s do this! Let’s get them together!”

Ella agreed and ten minutes later (after they got water to fix their hurting throats and calmed down), Ella’s driver was taking Darcy home.

 

\---

 

Ella waited until Darcy was gone to go her dad’s room. Knocking on the door in a bit of a daze, she waited until she could hear the pads of her dad’s feet on the floor. He opened the door and they stared at each other for a little before Louis edged open the door wider, allowing Ella to walk in, and shut the door behind her.  
Ella and Louis both walked to Louis’ bed, sitting on it cross-legged. Louis waited as long as he could as Ella fidgeted with the fray on her dad’s blanket before blurting out, “What is it, Ella?”

Ella looked up and smiled softly at Louis. “You were in a band,” she half-whispered.

Louis watched his daughter’s face and nodded. “Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Me, Liam, Niall, Harry, and Zayn. One Direction.”

Ella stared at her father. “You were massive,” she whispered.

Louis nodded again. “Massive.”

“You…were in love with Harry.”

Louis paused and stared at his daughter. “Does that…does that bother you?”

Ella nodded, and Louis felt his heart sink in the thought that his daughter couldn’t accept him. They’d never really talked about homosexuality, and Louis hadn’t ever brought up anything about his past. “You never _told_ , me, Dad,” Ella said. Her voice sounded pained. “That _bothers_ me.” 

Louis leaned forward and pulled his petite little daughter into his lap, holding her close. “I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately. “It’s not that I meant to keep it from you; I just don’t stay in the past. You know me.” He pulled back to see Ella looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “Ella, Ella, don’t be sad.”

Ella burrowed her nose into her dad’s neck, arms squeezing him tightly around his waist. “Is this why it didn’t work with you and Mum?” She whispered. “Because you’re in love with Harry still?”

Louis didn’t answer for a long time, just stroked his daughter’s hair as he felt the love he never allowed himself to think on flowing through his mind. “A bit, yeah, baby.”

Ella sniffed and she moved away a little to look up and make eye contact with Louis. “You still love him, then?” Louis nodded. “You told Darcy you didn’t.” Louis nodded again.

“It isn’t my place to debase her foundation,” he reasoned. “She knows we loved each other, once. But her foundation is still, ‘my daddy loved my mummy and they had me and then mummy went away’. I’m not wrecking that foundation for her. It isn’t my place.”

“But how would you wreck that foundation?” Ella asked passionately. “It’s still true - if Harry loved Darce’s mum, then - well, then that’s true. And then Darce’s mum left. That’s still true, too.”

Louis nodded to himself, and Ella huffed in frustration as she wiped the rest of the little tears on her eyelashes away. “What can I do to make it better?” He asked, nearly begging, hating when his daughter was upset. “What can I do to fix it? Don’t be sad, please don’t be sad. What can I do?”

Ella sat up straight and looked Louis in the eye. “You can get back together with Harry Styles.”

 

\---

 

Harry opened the door for his daughter and grabbed her bag, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Have fun, then?” He asked.

“Erm, yeah, we had a great time,” Darcy said with a too - bright smile. “I think I’ve already met my new best friend.”

Harry smiled softly in response. “Great,” he answered. “You said her name was Ellie, yeah?”

“Ella,” Darcy corrected. 

Harry nodded, trying to keep a smile on his face. “That’s Louis’ little girl’s name, did you know?” Darcy didn’t answer. “She’d be around your age, too.” He wandered back into the kitchen and Darcy followed quietly.

As Harry plucked a water bottle from the fridge for himself, he noticed Darcy following him and grabbed another, tossing it to her. She caught it deftly and jumped up on the kitchen counter, staring at him. 

Harry sighed. “What is it, Darce?”

His daughter’s eyes widened in what he now recognized easily as feigned innocence. “What, Daddy?” Harry just stared at her until she sighed in defeat. “Daddy…I think that…well, Louis’ divorced now and, not that that really matters, but…but I think that you’ve been single long enough, and - ”

Harry groaned. “Darce, I’m not having this conversation again. It’s not that I’m not ready; it’s that I don’t _want_ to, alright? I genuinely have no interest in - ”

“Dad, you can only wank for so long before it just becomes _sad_ \- ”

Harry covered his face and groaned again, this time in mortification. “Darcy, you’re - not supposed to know I do that,” he said, and it sounded like he was scolding her but he knew that Darcy knew it was just the embarrassment talking.

“Dad, you’re not exactly quiet,” she stated bluntly. Harry was sure he was going to die of overheating. “And - and I know who you think about when you - do that.”

At this, Harry’s head snapped up and his eyes were narrowed onto his daughter. “Darce,” he warned, knowing what was coming - _a_ _gain_.

“Dad, stop being a tosser; just _call him_!” She threw her hands up in resignation.

If it weren’t for the frustration of having this conversation _again_ , Harry might reprimand his daughter for her language. As it was, he was too busy shaking his head firmly, his frustration building more than it ever had. “Darce, it’s not like that anymore,” he nearly shouted. “That part of us ended whe-”

“When he chose Eleanor and you chose my mum, yeah I know,” Darcy huffed out in frustration, and Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He’d never said that to her before - it was something Louis had always insisted on - that they were done when Lou chose Eleanor and Harry chose Annabelle. Harry had never told her that before. Darcy continued on, anyway. “But he’s _divorced_ now, and - ”

“Where did you hear that,” he asked in a shaky voice, ignoring everything else.

Darcy wouldn’t meet her father’s eye when she finally whispered, “Louis told me.”

“ _What_?!” Harry asked, sounding like the wind had just been knocked out of him. 

Darcy nodded. “I heard it from Louis Tomlinson,” she repeated, slowly looking up at her father. “I met Louis Tomlinson today. His daughter…Ella Tomlinson…she’s my new friend,” she confessed.

Harry said nothing. He slammed his water bottle down on the counter and reached up into the cabinet, up past where Darcy could ever hope to reach (she’d gotten Annabelle’s lack of height), to pull out two different bottles. Slamming them down on the counter, he walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soda, slamming it onto the cabinet before taking out a glass and mixing the three in haphazardly. 

“Erm, Dad? What are you doing?” Darcy had seen her father drink a beer or two every once in a while, but he’d never seen him _mix_ a drink, much less one that looked this frightening. 

“I’m making something that will get me roaring drunk, I’m calling your nan to come over and keep an eye on you, and I’m going to go out and party and drink like one of those has-beens so hard that Liam will call me in the morning and scold me like I’m seventeen again.” Darcy watched as her father pulled out his phone and dialed Grandma Anne, waiting for her to pick up. “Mum,” he said roughly. “I need you to come watch Darcy…It’s Louis…yeah. Alright. Thanks.” He dropped the phone on the counter and left his drink sitting next to it, walking out. 

Within the hour, Harry had made four more of what he called a Black Sunday, Grandma Anne had come in and talked to him in voices too low for Darcy to hear, and Harry kissed Darcy on the forehead and walked to the taxi he’d called. 

Harry called Nick to come party, who came without a second thought once Harry explained what had happened with his daughter, and the two partied and danced and drunkenly made out and fucked each other’s brains out in bathrooms of a few clubs, fingers gripping the walls of the toilet cubicles, slamming each other so hard there were echoes. Late into the morning, Nick pushed Harry into a cab and paid the driver to take him _only_ to the address Nick gave him. 

Harry had somewhat sobered up by the time he got home, and when he crawled into bed, he noticed his daughter was on the other side of the bed, arms tight around Harry’s pillow. Prying the pillow from her hands, Harry kissed his daughter’s cheek and allowed her to curl up next to him before he fell into a deep sleep.

 

\---

 

Harry woke up to Darcy’s phone ringing. He hit Darcy in the head with his pillow and muttered when she stirred, “Someone’s calling you. Answer and leave or tell them to shut up and leave you alone.”

Darcy sat up slowly and tapped on her phone, pausing for a second. “Hello?” She asked, sounding groggy.

She listened for a second and then sat up straight, looking over at her dad, who was now trying to go back to sleep. “No, it didn’t…he went out and - oh, God. Seriously?” Darcy moved off the bed, jostling Harry into conscious again and he groaned in frustration. “I’m going to check it. Yeah. No problem. We’ll talk later. I need to have a chat with my father.” Harry listened as his daughter’s voice faded with her footsteps, heard the front door open just a bit, and heard a soft swear word come from the entry hall.

Forming a scolding in is mind for Darcy’s words, Harry’s eyes opened when a heavy newspaper was dropped on the side of his face.  
“Darcy, what the-?”

“Read all about your adventures last night, Dad,” Darcy was saying. She sounded disappointed, and Harry’s heart sank before he even looked.

 

_Ex-boy band One Direction fronter Harry Styles goes crazy with Nick Grimshaw!_

_“[Styles and Grimshaw] have always been close,” a friend of Nick’s says. “They talk quite a bit and like to have fun together.”_  
 _But what exactly do last night’s activities mean for the two? According to quite a few sources, and photos which cannot be released for children to see, Styles and Grimshaw have taken their ‘relationship’ to another level. Is this Styles coming back into his old ‘free-loving’ ways?_  
 _“Harry is a father now,” an insider said over ten years ago. “He is more responsible and is focusing on raising his daughter single-handedly; not meeting people to replace Annabelle.”_  
 _Maybe that wasn’t the case then, but is it now?_  
 _In the words of Sugarscape, “If anyone were to replace Martin or Calder, it would be Tomlinson or Styles - let’s be real, here.”_  
 _So what is Styles doing with Grimshaw?_

 

\---

 

Harry groaned in frustration and pushed the tabloid off of his lap, letting it drop to the floor. With his head in his hands, he sighed and muttered, “I’m sorry, Darce. I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have gone out; I wasn’t thinking about you. I’m sorry.”

Darcy rolled her eyes and plopped down on the bed. “Dad, I’m mad at you,” she stated bluntly.

Harry shifted his glance to stare at the floor, his hands sliding into his curls and pulling a little. “I know. I’m so sorry, Darce.”

“What’s Louis going to think when he meets _me_ and that night you go and fuck Nick’s brains out?” She asked, frustrated but unable to truly be angry at her dad. “He’s going to think, ‘well this settles it then, he truly doesn’t give a shit and I-‘”

“Stop _swearing_ , my _God_ , you sound like your mother!” Harry angrily interrupted, glaring and shouting at his daughter for the first time in years.

Darcy stopped short and pressed her lips into a hard line Harry had seen few times on his daughter, and many times on himself. She turned and walked straight out of his room, ignoring his immediate apologies and stammers of her name before slamming his bedroom door. 

Harry put his head back in his hands and groaned, flopping back on the bed.

The entire weekend was mostly silent in the Styles house. Harry kept trying to make amends, but Darcy had inherited her mother’s grudge and Harry’s stubbornness. She wasn’t talking or listening to her father. Harry had gotten angry and grounded her for being defiant, and immediately felt guilty when she went to her room obediently and didn’t even ask to leave the house the entire weekend. Harry heard her talking on the phone to Ella, telling her she was grounded and not speaking with her father at the moment, and ‘the plan’ would have to wait.

After Harry dropped his daughter off to her school, he pulled out his phone and called the best peace-keeper he knew.

 

\---

 

Liam opened the door and pulled Harry in, smiling and squeezing a little too tight, but rubbing Harry’s back like he remembered. As Liam drug Harry into his beautiful home, Harry caught sight of four young pairs of eyes peaking at him through the stairs. He smiled and Liam caught the expression, finding his kids with a (failed attempt of a) stern face.

“Kids,” he called out like a warning. “What did Daddy say about eavesdropping?”

“You said no, but last night we heard Mummy tell you that when you say no you mean yes,” the littlest one stood up and announced. 

Liam flushed and Harry tried to hide his snicker, but judging by the punch to the shoulder he received, he didn’t do too well.

“Erm, guys, well - Dani, could you give me some help on this one?” He called out, and Harry smiled as Danielle walked through the doorway from another room. 

“What’ve they got on you _now_ , Liam?” she smiled, sighing in exasperation of her clever babies.

“They - erm - heard a few things that were said last night,” Liam stammered out, his face turning redder by the second.

Danielle giggled quietly, blushing faintly at Harry’s snort and walked towards the staircase. “Alright, kids, that’s enough terrorizing Daddy, I think,” she called out to them, amusement rich in her voice. “Downstairs, come on then! You lot need to come clean up your mess in the play room, anyway. And come say hi to Uncle Harry, too!”

Harry watched as Liam and Danielle’s four children bound down the stairs towards him. Liam had sent Harry the odd photo of them over the years, so Harry only had a little difficulty in distinguishing them from each other. Claire, the oldest at six; James, the only boy at four; Isabella at three; and Lucie at nearly two. They all had dark, chocolate eyes and the thick, wildly curly hair, complete with varying shades of mocha complexion that Harry’s eyes were instantly drawn to. Harry thought they were some of the most beautiful children he’d ever seen, and even though Liam and Danielle had waited to have kids because of Danielle’s dancing career, Harry was amazed that they could have _not_ had children over the years.

Harry had never met Isabella or Lucie, and it had been a while since he’d seen James and Claire, but they all ran up to him and hugged him tightly, shouting excitedly and shrieking happily when Harry bent down to hug them and pepper them with sloppy kisses. Liam and Danielle watched happily until Claire, Isabella and Lucie separated themselves from Harry, leaving James clinging to Harry’s thigh. Harry pushed his fingers into James’ curls and scratched at his scalp, leaving James humming. He half-walked, half-dragged James over to the couch, and Danielle told them all to go clean up in their play room. They all complied immediately, leaving Harry watching them happily.

“Alright, Harry,” Danielle sighed as she took a seat next to Liam. “What’s happened, now?”

Harry looked at his best mate’s wife and spilled everything - moving here, Darcy meeting a new friend, that new friend turning out to be Ella Tomlinson, Louis being divorced, Darcy wanting them to date, going out with Nick, Darcy finding out, and then the fight with Darcy that led to the three-day silent treatment he’d received. “So what am I supposed to _do_?” he asked Danielle and Liam. The couple looked at each other, communicating silently before staring at Harry again.

“We think you should go out with Louis,” Liam said solidly.

 

\---

 

Louis waited impatiently in the cold as Niall’s phone rang again. Finally, Niall picked up with a groggy, “’Lo?”

Louis sighed. “Open your door, you twat, I’m freezing my arse off.”

Niall groaned and Louis listened through the phone as Niall walked round his house, hanging up the phone when the door was open. “ _Why_ does Zayn have to be on tour right now?” Niall moaned to no one in particular. 

Louis acted affronted. “You act like if Zayn weren’t on another continent I’d be at his rather than yours.”

Niall fixed Louis with a stare. “Are you saying you woke me up because you fancied some good ol’ Nialler time?” He asked dubiously, staring at Louis until the older man cracked.

“Okay, no,” Louis admitted and Niall snorted, moving to let Louis in. “I need advice, though,” Louis continued, “and you _do_ give good advice.”

Niall snorted again and led Louis to his dining room, putting tea on for them and looking round his fridge. “That’s a load, mate,” he called out to Louis. “Zayn’s the one with the advice. Zayn or Liam, I mean. But Harry’s probably already gone to Liam.”

Louis snapped up to meet Niall’s gaze, shocked. “How did you know this was about Harry?” He asked.

Niall laughed from his belly, grabbing a bowl for his cereal, and Louis decided not to let Niall know it was nearly three in the afternoon. “Mate, you really think you’d come all the way to Sheffield if it wasn’t to do with Harry?” He smirked at his victory (again) and began to pour the cereal, grabbing milk and adding it in, too.

Louis flailed for a proper answer before giving up and beginning the whole story. When he was nearly done, he heard the door open and a younger voice call out, “Dad, ‘m home!” and Niall jumped up, excusing himself for a second. Louis smiled as he heard his mate talk to a younger kid excitedly about his school day before hinting about a snack in the kitchen for him. The little boy ran into the kitchen, not even taking notice of Louis until he had his food and heard Louis chuckling.

Immediately, the boy was frightened by the sudden appearance of a stranger in his home and called out, “Dad!”

Louis felt horrible for scaring the younger kid, and Niall came in with a soothing chuckle to introduce the two. “Ivan, this is my mate, Louis. We used to be in that band together, remember I told you about that?” The kid named Ivan nodded, slowing his breathing a bit, and Louis got a good look at him. 

Ivan looked nothing like Niall at all, but still quite familiar in a way that somewhat escaped Louis. He had brown hair, his eyes were a bit more squinty than Niall’s, and his eyes were darker than Niall’s. His nose was narrower than Niall’s, and he was a bit bulkier in stature. Ivan stepped forward with his hand outstretched, and Louis shook it with a smile. 

“Nice t’ meet ya,” Ivan said with the thickest Irish accent Louis had ever heard. Louis’ eyes flew to Niall’s face, but he returned the sentiment to Ivan, who then took his snack and went up to his room.

Louis and Niall walked into the living room, Niall with a bit of trepidation until Louis finally blurted out, “Ivan can’t be yours, Niall. Your genes are too strong - any child of yours would look exactly like you.”

Niall simply nodded and hesitated for a second before admitting, “He’s Sean’s.”

As if on cue, the door opened again and Niall jumped up when he heard, “Daddy’s home! Where are my favorite boys at?!” echoing through the halls. Niall walked to the end of the hall, where Sean must have seen him, because Louis watched Niall was yanked into the hallway and heard the thud of someone being pressed against a wall and snogged senseless.

Louis stifled his laughter as he heard a breathless Niall explain the situation and an awkward cough from Sean before the two men peeked around the corner and met Louis’ eyes. Louis burst into laughter and stood up, opening his arms wide enough for the couple to fit into an embrace.

Sitting down, Niall and Sean held hands as they told their story.

Niall was still doing well, working in recording and producing some of the newer, teen stars’ records, but Sean was still in Ireland. He’d gotten Ivan’s mother pregnant during a short-lived relationship, and the mother had died in childbirth. Niall flew out to Ireland to console his best friend and help care for Ivan as best as he could, convincing Sean to move to England with Ivan to live with Niall. Sean eventually agreed and had lived there just over seven years, as Ivan had recently turned eight. Somewhere along the line, Niall and Sean had realized their love for each other was a bit more than platonic love between mates, and had decided to give their relationship a try, agreeing that Ivan would always come first. It was working brilliantly, although they didn’t see any need to rush off to get married any time soon. They did regret not telling the other lads about their relationship, though. “But the media never actually caught wind of it,” Niall explained, “and we didn’t want to make Ivan nervous - he never lived like that, the way I did and the way Sean saw.”

Louis understood and was a little shocked at how it hurt to realize he knew so little about his best mate’s life. Then again, Niall didn’t know much about Louis’ life, either. So he launched into his own story. Niall knew about Ella, they still talked somewhat when she was born. He told Niall of his problems with Eleanor, how they’d had Leo and Lucas as a kind of last-ditch effort to save their marriage, but it hadn’t worked, and the divorce had turned very ugly, very quickly. He talked about Eleanor moving out and getting her own place, not seeing the kids very often because she was back to modeling. Finally, Louis told Niall and Sean about Harry moving into London as well, about Ella bringing home his daughter, Darcy, and about Darcy’s conversation, and Ella’s request. With his head in his hands, Louis nearly wailed out, “What am I supposed to _do_?!”

Niall hesitated on answering, but Sean didn’t. “Get off your chicken arse and go over to his and snog the shit out of him,” he exclaimed, unable to believe that Harry and Louis _still_ hadn’t gotten their shit together.

“What?” Louis asked, a little amazed.

“Look,” Sean said, and Niall smiled, knowing Louis was in for a lecture. “You guys dated when you shouldn’t have. When you were in a band, and a lot of your success depended on your ability to attract the girls, you were in a gay relationship. _A gay relationship_. When you were band mates, and you needed to be able to work effectively without personal lives getting in the way, you were in a gay relationship. _A gay relationship_. But now that you’re both single, well-established, with kids who, from what you’ve said, already get on like a house on fire, and you both have _time_ for a proper relationship now. So why aren’t you together?”

Louis sat in silence, not able to come to an accurate conclusion while Niall sighed and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and tossed it to Louis. Louis glanced at the screen and saw that Niall had called Zayn for him and pressed the phone to his ear, shooting Niall a look.

“Hello? Niall?” Zayn answered, and Louis let the soothing voice of his other best mate wash over him.

“It’s Lou, actually,” he answered, and Zayn paused.

“Louis? Why are you calling from Niall’s phone? You alright?”

“’Course, ‘course, yeah. Yeah, ‘m fine.” Zayn waited expectantly and Niall and Sean were gesturing at Louis to talk to Zayn. “Alright, no, I’m not. Erm, Harry’s moved back to London. Where I am, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Zayn trailed off, clearly not getting the picture this early in the game.

“Yeah. And Ella brought home Darcy - I guess they go to the same school now - and Darcy recognized me. And she told me that Harry still loves me and she thinks I still love him, and then she went home after telling Ella _everything_ about us - and me and Harry - and now Ella’s a bit put off with me and won’t forgive me unless I go on a date with Harry. I mean I know she’ll forgive me anyways if I don’t, but still. And now Darcy’s trying to get Harry to warm up to the idea - I heard her and Ella talking about it on the phone.”

Zayn was quiet for a moment before asking bluntly, “So why are you talking to me and not fucking Harry into a mattress or a wall or up against a glass window by now?”

Louis blushed. “That window incident only happened _one time_ and-”

“My point is,” Zayn interrupted, “that you need to go out with him. Despite whatever Ella’s saying, she loves the shit out of you. She’s not even mad anymore, I bet. She just thinks this is what’s best for you and, quite frankly, I agree. She’s a smart kid, from the sounds of it. Probably thinks it’s best for her, too, and again - I agree. So why aren’t you _with_ him, fucking him into a God damned _mattress_?!”

“Well - because what if something goes _wrong_ and-”

“Are you _kidding me_?” Zayn interrupted, while Niall flopped back against the couch in exasperation. Sean looked confused, and Louis felt resigned.

“No, Zayn, I’m not-”

“You are _such_ a puss!” Zayn goaded Louis. “How long is ‘what if something goes wrong and our friendship is ruined’ going to be your excuse? If you haven’t realized, you and Harry haven’t had a proper talk in _at least_ ten years. Or am I wrong about that?”

Louis shook his head and remembered he was on the phone. “No, you’re right.” He scratched and tugged at his fringe. “You really think I should go for it, then?” he asked.

“ _Yes!_ ” Came the answer from Zayn, Niall, and Sean.

\---

 

Ella was driven home by their chauffeur, Max, and was the only one home when she arrived. She grabbed for her phone to call her dad before remembering she was supposed to be mad at him. 

Just as she poured herself a drink, her phone vibrated.

 

**Darce**  
 _Dad just called Lou. Date’s tomorrow night! We’re watching Leo and Lucas.:)_


End file.
